Business Objects Americas of San Jose, Calif., sells a tool called Crystal Xcelsius™ to create interactive graphics representative of input and output data. This tool enables users to create interactive graphics representative of input and output data. These interactive graphics are created using a design tool that provides graphic components which the user associates with data values and that can be exported, integrated in other documents and portal environments, and distributed widely.
One of the challenges for a user who is creating interactive graphics representative of input and output data is how to combine the various graphic components. In current embodiments, the user works with a single panel and either combines multiple interactive graphics within one layout, or uses a third party presentation tool such as Microsoft PowerPoint™ or a web page layout to structure the combination of multiple interactive control panels. Although templates and samples are provided to illustrate possible layout combinations, these templates do not enable the user to easily combine existing interactive control panel components.
In the prior art, if there is a desire to combine the content from existing interactive control panels this is done manually based on the original canvas files, by structuring the layout using a third party tool, or by sending two separate files to an end user. FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art workflow for combining interactive control panels. Initially, a user (e.g., a designer) works with a canvas to add graphic components linked to data sources 100. An interactive control panel is then generated for the canvas 102. Another user (e.g., an end user) then views and interacts with the interactive control panel 104. It is then determined whether to combine the interactive control panel with another existing interactive control panel 106. If not, processing is done 107. If so, it is determined whether a single interactive control panel file should be used 108. If so, a user opens a new canvas and manually combines the interactive control panel file elements from those files 110. If not, the user sends the interactive control panels as separate files or inserts them in a third-party application as separate files 112.
With existing technology, a user is unable to specify more than one content layer for a section on the panel. The content displayed in a region of the panel is currently specified as one specific interactive graphic. There is no ability for the end user to toggle the content displayed in a region or pane within a panel.
Although the use of layout structures as provided in applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint™ and Microsoft Word™ is known in the prior art, this use of layout templates is different than the use of a layout template to generate an interactive graphic representative of input and output values. In the case of applications, such as Microsoft PowerPoint™ and Microsoft Word™, the layout panel is designed to combine content within an existing document rather than to enable the combination of generated files into a newly generated file. Additionally, there is no mechanism to assign more than one content file to a single panel within the panel layout or to generate an output that enables an end user to toggle between multiple content elements specified for a single panel within the layout.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide improved techniques for combining control panels for interactive graphics representative of input and output data in a single layout control panel. Additionally, it would be advantageous to enable the end user of the layout control panel to select alternative control panel content for regions within the layout control panel.